Vital Signs
by messersmontana
Summary: Sometimes a little patch can cause problems and sometimes it can change the way things were. See what happens when Jack puts it on.


Title: _Vital Signs_

Author: Lt Col Samantha Carter AKA Trisha Steere

This is a repost, posted on 9/4/2007

Category: It's Sam & Jack of course. Crossover, Romance, a little comfort.

Status: Complete

Rating: Kids/ Teens

Summary: Sometimes a little patch can cause problems and sometimes it can change the way things were. See what happens when Jack puts it on.

Content Warning: none

Season/Spoilers: Anything up to and through season 10

Archive: Only if you ask me first.

Feedback to steere(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Disclaimer:

Okay, I don't own Stargate SG-1 or Atlantis, Sam, Jack, or any of the other characters. I'm just borrowing them for my own pleasure. I make no money from this. If I did then we'd be getting a season 11 and more. Oh and Jack would still be around.

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The Stargate spun and locked into place. The event horizon opened onto P4M-399. It's a small planet on the outskirts of the Milky Way Galaxy, one of the relay stations that connect Earth to Atlantis.

Six people stepped out of the event horizon and stopped in front of the commander of the

relay station, Colonel Griff. SG-1 consisted of Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Vala and this time Brigadier General Jack O'Neill.

"General O'Neill, it's great to see you again sir." Griff said as he saluted Jack.

"Yeah, it's great to get to go off world and get seen again. How goes things here Griff?" Jack asked.

"Not much, it's been pretty quiet around here as you can see. Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard arrived an hour ago, and are waiting for you and Colonel Carter in the tent over there. SG-1 can head over to the mess tent and join the rest of us for lunch if they'd like." He offered.

Jack nodded and looked at SG-1. "Thank you Colonel Griff. We'd be happy to join you for lunch. Come on guys, let's eat." Mitchell said as they followed Griff to the mess tent.

Sam and Jack watched the team move off before heading for the guest tent to find out what was so important that they were both needed there. This would be good.

They walked to the tent in comfortable silence and called out when they reached the opening. "Doctor Weir, you in there?" Jack asked.

Elizabeth Weir walked out just before John Sheppard did. "Hello General O'Neill and Colonel Carter. We're glad you made it." She replied.

Sam smiled. "Hello doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard. It's nice to see you again." She said as she stopped next to Jack.

"So, what's up kids? What is so important that you needed both Carter and myself here for? Jack asked.

Elizabeth pulled an object out of her pocket and handed it to Sam. "This is why we asked for you Colonel Carter. This paper like device is why we need your expertise. You'll love it."

"What is it?" Sam asked, as she looked it over.

"It reads vital signs, but it only works on those who have the ancient gene." She replied, turning to Jack. "And that is why we were glad to hear that you were visiting General O'Neill. Now I don't have to leave John here for Colonel Carter to use it on. She can test it on you."

Sam looked the device over, deciding that it looked kind of like a post it note, but not as fragile as a real piece of paper. "Can I take it back to the SGC with me?" She asked.

John and Elizabeth exchanged worried looks. "I'd rather you study it here and that it stay away from Earth at this time. There are so many ways that this could end up in the wrong hands and we're not sure exactly what it is yet. We just don't want to take the chance."

"Why didn't you have McKay study it then? Why bring it to me?" Sam asked.

"Because he did study it, on himself and he ended up in the infirmary." Elizabeth replied.

"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed. "This Post It note put him in the infirmary and you want me to put it on?

John laughed. "No sir, that's not what put him in the infirmary. Ronan put him in there because we all tried to get him to take a break from studying it. Well he pushed Ronan, who pushed him back and he fell and got knocked out. He was heartbroken when he woke up and found out that we took it off of him and wouldn't be giving it back."

Elizabeth looked from Sam to Jack. "You see, he put it on and had it on for three days as he studied it. The first day when he was asleep, it seemed to have fallen off so he decided not stay awake. So the next two days he didn't sleep or eat, he just kept working on it."

"He didn't eat for two days?" Sam asked surprised.

Elizabeth smiled. "I know, I was surprised when I heard about it too. He never skips a meal because of his hyperglycemia."

Jack looked pale. "Are you sure it has nothing to do with that thing?" He asked looking at the device in Sam's hands.

"Yes sir. I wore it for a day and it did nothing to me. I don't think it's meant to be worn all the time though. It was weird to have everyone know when my heart rate changed and I ended up spending a lot of time in my quarters." John explained.

Jack looked at Sam. "Okay, why is that?" She asked.

Elizabeth replied before he could. "Because his heart seemed to race whenever certain people walked into the room. Especially when it was Rodney coming to check the device, he was doing it so often that John's blood pressure was going sky high. I was afraid he'd hurt Rodney or himself if he didn't calm down. That's when I told him to find another test subject, and he did…. himself."

"Yeah? Well Carter won't make the same mistake, right Carter?" Jack asked her.

She smiled back at him. "Right, I promise to take breaks and get some sleep. And we'll take the device off when you sleep sir." She replied.

"Good. Now show us how it works so you can get back to Atlantis. We'll test it for a week, that's all the time I have away from the Pentagon." Jack said.

Elizabeth took the device and showed Sam how to place it on Jack's neck. "You might want to start with leaving it on for an hour then take a break, but leave it on a little longer each time. That's what we did with John. Here are Rodney's notes and results so far. Oh and you might want to check his vitals the old fashion way to compare how accurate the device is." She explained.

Sam listened and noted what needed to be done. Then they walked John and Elizabeth to the Stargate to see them home.

Walking back from the Stargate, O'Neill broke the silence. "I think we should send SG-1 home. No use for them to just sit around here doing nothing for a week. Landry can either send them on your next mission without you, or give them downtime until we're done here."

"Yes sir, I'm sure they'll love the downtime. Vala has been trying to get them to take her hiking for weeks now. Daniel keeps making excuses, maybe Cam will take her now." Sam replied.

"Cam?" Jack asked as he pulled a Teal'c with his eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know short for Cameron?" Sam said as she hid her smile.

"I see." Was all Jack could say.

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They watched SG-1 head home through the Stargate, and then went in search of quarters for themselves for the week. They ended up sharing a five-room tent, using the large room as the lab. "I guess there was enough room here that SG-1 could have stayed." Jack joked.

Sam smiled at the joke. "Okay sir, are you ready to start this experiment?" She asked holding the device in her hand.

"I only have to wear it for an hour, right?" He asked her.

"Yes sir, only an hour for now." She replied as she moved towards him. Moving the collar of his jacket away to place the device on his carotid artery, just as Weir explained. She could feel him shiver as her fingers touched his skin, but ignored it, along with her accelerated heartbeat.

Once on, the monitor came to life and vital signs were displayed on the face of the device. "Don't forget to see how accurate the readings are Carter." He reminded her.

Sam picked up the blood pressure sleeve. "You'll need to remove your jacket and roll up your sleeves sir." She told him.

Jack smiled. "Oh, flashback to Doctor Fraiser. You don't have any hidden needles there do you?" He asked, as he did what she asked him to do.

Sam smiled and bit back the sting of tears at hearing her best friend's name. She still missed Janet to this day, and longed to talk to her. "I promise sir, no needles."

He watched as she took his blood pressure, his temperature and checked his heart rate. She wrote down her readings, then she moved his head to the side so she could check the readings on the device, writing them down next to the other readings.

"Why don't you rest and I'll check things in an hour sir." She told him and watched him leave for his room.

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An hour later Jack was back to have his vital signs read. Sam wrote both sets of vital signs down, then looked up at him puzzled. "Everything is the same except for your heart rate. Both are slightly higher than normal, but the device shows the highest heart rate of the two." She explained to him.

"Your hands were cold and I jumped, that's all. It must have made my pulse race." He tried to explain.

Not buying it she didn't reply. She walked away and wrote a few notes down on her chart. When she walked back towards him, she watched as his heart beat faster the closer she got to him. She smiled. "I think I figured it out sir." She said.

He looked at her. "Oh yeah? What do you think you figured out Carter?" He asked her.

She moved closer to him even more. "Well it seems that the closer I get to you, the quicker your heart beats." She answered.

"Really?" He said, not a question.

"Yes sir." She answered anyway. Then she reached out and took the device off for a bit.

"So, you think that you make my heart beat faster?" He asked her.

Smiling, she replied. "Yes sir. I do."

"You're enjoying this aren't you Carter?" He asked.

"Oh yes sir, immensely." She replied.

"You get to wear that device next, then we'll see how fast your heart beats when I come closer to you." He ordered.

"I don't need to wear it for you to find out how fast my heart beats sir." She said, taking his hand and placing it over her heart. "See, mine is beating fast too."

Jack froze but kept eye contact. "I thought that those feeling died inside you a long time ago." He whispered.

"Never." Was all she said.

"Then what happened?" He asked her, never breaking eye contact with her.

"I thought that I could never have you. You ordered me to get a life and I found Pete. And then you found Kerry." She answered.

Jack nodded. "Why did you agree to marry Pete?" He asked her because he really needed to know.

Sam moved to sit next to him on the bench. "When I showed you the ring, you didn't say anything. You didn't try to stop me; in fact you seemed to push me for it. I saw it as a sign that you didn't care for me anymore."

He took her hand and rubbed the finger that used to wear the ring. "I thought I'd lost you forever that day. Then I thought that at least you would be happy, even if I had to watch it from a distance. Tell me, why did you break up with Pete?"

"I didn't love him with my whole heart, and I know that Dad didn't like him. Then he told me something the day that he and Selmac died. He said not to let the rules stand in my way. That I can still have everything I want. That's when I knew that I couldn't marry Pete. He wasn't what…I mean who I wanted." She told him.

Gulping, almost afraid to ask. "Who do you want?"

Moving to stand in front of him. "I want you Jack O'Neill." She told him.

He got the biggest grin on his face as he pulled her onto his lap. "I like the sound of that Sam." He whispered, saying her name for the first time in a long time.

"You do, huh?" She leaned down to kiss him but pulled back. "What about Kerry?"

He smiled back at her. "She dumped me the day that Dad died." He told her, as he brought her lips to his.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and sighed. "This is where I'm supposed to be, here in your arms. I didn't feel this way with Pete. I always felt like something was missing. Now I know what it was….you."

He kissed her nose. "That's good to hear, cause I belong in your arms too."

The End


End file.
